You’re reading edition #1 of the LaunchBoom Newsletter, which is sent every Tuesday to thousands of product creators.
Hey, happy Tuesday!
I’m trying a new format for this week’s newsletter.
Shorter, more structured, but still high value. I’ll dive into (1) a short client story, (2) a marketing tip, and (3) my favorite piece of content from the week.
Contents
1. Short Story
Two ex-Amazon engineers with a $774,113 “overnight” success.
(by overnight I mean 12 months of intense planning)
But when they launched, they knew they’d be successful.
First, they identified a “problem.”
Jeff was frustrated trying to shower with his wife:
- someone was always cold
- trying to switch places was a pain
- so he built a product called Tandem Shower
Often the best problems to solve are ones people simply tolerate.
Second, they ran a series of experiments.
Coming from Amazon, they knew to build products in stages.
- they paid for national surveys
- they surveyed friends and family
- they built prototypes and got 50 beta testers
With each step, the experiment got bigger & more expensive.
Third, they iterated constantly.
Building something takes time & patience.
- they collected feedback from beta testers
- they used the feedback to make it better
- they tested 50+ shower heads
The best products evolve far past their 1st version.
Fourth, they identified their weaknesses.
They weren’t great at marketing.
- they joined the LaunchBoom Accelerator
- they outsourced their campaign video
- they focused on their strengths
Get support where you’re weak.
Last, they didn’t count on luck.
They built a prelaunch list using a Reservation Funnel.
- collected over 7,000 qualified emails
- launched campaign on Kickstarter
- made $272,408 on the first day
Nothing is more effective than a prelaunch email list.
Here’s what their final results looked like…
2. Marketing Tip
Names matter… a lot.
Have you heard of the Chinese Gooseberry?
Not many have… but that was the name of the original Kiwi fruit.
First brought to New Zealand in 1904, growers struggled for 50 years to introduce it to western markets.
It all changed one day in a board room.
Someone pointed out that the Chinese Gooseberry looked a lot like New Zealand’s furry, brown, flightless bird…
The Kiwi.
The name changed.
Public perception changed.
Sales immediately started to grow.
All because they changed the name.
This shows the power of positioning.
A very scientifically accurate anatomical drawing of the Kiwi bird.
3. Favorite Content
Learn to launch your product in 5 minutes per week.
Every Tuesday, I send a newsletter just like this one! You can expect to read about my biggest lessons and most-effective strategies to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign. Sign up using the form right below 👇
